Deconstructed Anthems performed by pianist Dr. Kristín Taylor

Deconstructed Anthems is an ongoing series of music performances in which a musician and/or music ensemble plays a deconstructed score of “The Star-Spangled Banner” created by artist Ekene Ijeoma by removing notes and repeating at the rate of mass incarceration. For the performances at Bemis, Ijeoma created Deconstructed Anthems: Nebraska 12 (2015). In 2015, Black people in Nebraska were incarcerated 6x more than whites. The number is doubled to 12 to extend the duration of the performance which ends in silence.

This performance will take place in-person and stream live at twitch.tv/bemiscenter.
Twitch account not required.

Dr. Kristín Jónína Taylor is an Icelandic-American pianist who has been enthusiastically received for her performances of Nordic piano works, including the North American premiere of Jón Nordal’s Piano Concerto in 2003 and programs by invitation in Washington D.C. for the Ambassador of Iceland and President Vigdís Finnbogadóttir. She has performed widely in the U.S. as well as in Iceland, France, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Sweden, Austria, Serbia, Canada, Latvia, and Lithuania. Dr. Taylor was the Grand Prize Winner of the Naftzger Young Artist Competition, a national finalist in the Music Teachers National Association Young Chang Collegiate Competition, and a finalist in the Solo Piano Professional Division of The American Prize. In 2003 she was invited to give a performance at the Classical Hall of Fame in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was a soloist with several orchestras and gave a performance of an all-Schumann program at the internationally prestigious Reykjavík Arts Festival.

Kristín was the recipient of a Fulbright grant to Iceland in 2004-2005 to conduct research for her doctoral thesis on Jón Nordal ’s Piano Concerto. She received another Fulbright Scholar grant award to Iceland for the Fall of 2010 to research the music of Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson. She has released four professional recordings on the Pólarfónía, Smekkleysa, Iceland Music Information Centre, and MarkMasters labels.

Kristín is the Assistant Professor of Piano and Keyboard Area Coordinator at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She also serves as a member of the Mu Phi Epsilon Professional Music Fraternity Foundation Board, President of the Central Regional Chapter of College Music Society, and President-Elect of the Omaha Music Teachers Association.

Kristín Jónína Taylor is a Steinway Artist.

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Image: Artist Ekene Ijeoma on the set of "Deconstructed Anthems" at Houston's Day For Night Festival in 2017. Photo: Katrina Barber.